Your Friendly Neighborhood Music Critic

SiR – November

The newest, smoother singer in the game. SiR’s debut record with TDE, the label with the roster of Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, SZA, Jay Rock, Isaiah Rashad, and Ab-Soul, is the clear response to the rise of Daniel Caesar, and the post-Frank Ocean craze of expertly mixing neo-soul, R&B, and hip-hop into the most refreshing cocktail.

Of all the artists in TDE’s arsenal above, none have disappointed (hell, even Ab-Soul has some great verses here and there), and SiR’s November is no exception to the rule. Songs like “Something New (feat. Etta Bond),” show the most similarities to Caeser’s music, but SiR doesn’t stop at just one kind of sound, with more sampled-grooves on “D’Evils,” ballads on “Summer in November,” trendy trap on “I Know,” and Anderson .Paak-like, chill anthem’s on “Something Foreign (feat. ScHoolboy Q).”

He’s a perfect addition to the Marvin Gaye’s and Al Green’s of the 2000’s, such as Anderson .Paak, D.R.A.M., Miguel, Syd, Sonder, Sampha, Smino, SZA, Daniel Caeser, Frank Ocean, the Weeknd, and countless others, with the combination of R&B music and more hip-hop oriented lyrics:

Tryna keep it humble in a world full of egos, gangsters and evils
Player in the game but I’m making my own rules
And I’m pulling up in something foreign

They’re the kind of lyrics that could have been pulled right from an old Tupac verse, but they’re sung breezily over the lightest and jazziest piano production. Sure, November isn’t without its missteps, as tracks like “That’s Alright,” “Better,” and “Dreaming of Me” can kind of blur together in recollection, but if “K,” the futuristic computer that travels around with SiR, has any indication of the singer’s future, we’ve still got at least 12 trillion kilometers to go.